All entries become the property of the Knights of Columbus and will not be returned.

GOAL

The goal of the Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest is to give students an opportunity to define the role of a Catholic citizen in many different scenarios, and to strengthen the bond between the Knights of Columbus and local schools.

ELIGIBILITY

The Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest is open to all Catholic students – in public, private or parochial schools – in grades 8,9,10,11 and 12 during the current school year. The Sacred Heart council will also allow students in grades 6 and 7 to participate at the council level.

JUDGING

Essays will be judged on a 100-point scoring system:

35 points: Content – How clearly is the theme presented?

30 points: Grammar – How well is the essay written with respect to sentence structure, paragraph construction and spelling?

35 points: Style – Does the essay show creativity, imagination and development of the topic in a compelling style?

AWARDS

Council level awards will consist of Schulers gift cards and winners certificates.

The top three international level winners for each grade (8 – 12) will receive monetary awards: $300 for 1st place, and $100 each for 2 runners up in each grade level. Checks are accompanied by a framed certificate signed by the Supreme Knight.